Two days ago, contract talks broke off with St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

The tone changed quickly, though, as the Blues announced Friday that they had reached a seven-year, $45.5 million deal with their No. 1 defenseman.

"We're excited to have Alex signed over the next seven years as he will continue be a key component of our franchise," said general manager Doug Armstrong. "He is an elite defenseman in this league and will be for years to come."

The $6.5 million cap hit ties him for eighth among defensemen with the Ottawa Senators' Erik Karlsson and Toronto Maple Leafs' Dion Phaneuf. Starting next season, he'll be the highest-paid player on the Blues, according to capgeek.com.

The Blues' top seven defensemen are signed through at last 2014-15.

Pietrangelo, 23, also is a candidate to play on Team Canada.

He played in all but one game last season and led the Blues in average ice time (25:06) and the team's defensemen with 24 points. Since his first full season in 2010, Pietrangelo is tied for sixth among all defensemen in points (118), ranks 10th in goals (28), tied for ninth in assists (90) and 15th in plus-minus (plus 34).

He became the youngest defenseman in Blues history to record back-to-back 40-plus point seasons in 2010-11 (43) and 2011-12 (51).